JUDGES
Our leading panel of judges are industry professionals who have in-depth experience of running events. Each of our judges are allocated an award category and vote independently and separately to score each entry. They then meet to share scoring and discuss feedback to consolidate the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
Ryan Simonetti
CEO and co-founder , Convene
Ryan Simonetti is the CEO and co-founder of Convene, a premium hospitality company that designs and operates meeting, event, and flexible office spaces. After a dynamic career spanning finance, real estate acquisitions, and development, Simonetti co-founded Convene in 2009; under his leadership, the company has grown its portfolio of brands to include etc.venues and boasts a network of nearly 40 locations across nine cities, serving as the largest single provider of premium meeting and event venues in the U.S. and U.K.
Simonetti was honored in the Commercial Observer’s inaugural Power PropTech List and has also been recognized by Real Estate Forum’s 50 Under 40, Inc. magazine’s 30 Under 30, as a “Top Entrepreneur” by Crain’s New York, America’s Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs, and Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year® New York as a finalist.
Simonetti graduated from Villanova University with a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics. His professional career began in the global real estate group at Lehman Brothers; he then joined Gramercy Capital Corp. where he was responsible for the restructuring of a billion-dollar loan portfolio, including $600 million of hospitality-related real estate investments.
Beyond Convene, Simonetti is the co-founder and chairman of Ease Capital, a Venture Partner at Revolution Growth, and is an active supporter of CoreNet Global. Outside of work, he enjoys golfing, fishing, boxing, and thinking of the next ‘big idea.’